Child cold and flu medicine recalled over dosage label error

12th November 2021

Parents of poorly children in Southport are being warned to ditch cold and flu tablets they may have bought from any of the towns major retailers.

It’s because the packaging tells parents a higher recommended child’s dose than is actually correct.

Wilko, Spar, Waitrose, Aldi, Asda, Superdrug, Sainsbury’s, Lloyds, Morrisons, Boots and Tesco have all been told to pull the tablets, which are made by Wrafton Laboratories, trading as Perrigo, from their shelves.

The packaging incorrectly advises that children aged 12 to 15 can take a maximum of up to 12 capsules (3.6g of paracetamol per day) in any 24-hour period.

While a nationwide recall is in full effect, parents who may have already exceeded the dose after faithfully following the package instructions have been told any risk to a child’s health as a result is low.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which issued the recall, said the risk to consumers is low.

MHRA chief safety officer Dr Alison Cave said: “I want to reassure people that while this recall is aimed at retail level only, patient safety is at the centre of all our decision-making.

“If you or your child are aged 12 to 15, have recently used these capsules and have not experienced any side-effects, there is no cause for concern.

“If you currently have one of these packets at home, please take note of the corrected dose in this age group and talk to your pharmacist if you are unsure of these changes.

The packaging incorrectly advises that children aged 12 to 15 can take a maximum of up to 12 capsules (3.6g of paracetamol per day) in any 24-hour period.

Labelling should state a maximum daily dose of eight capsules per day (2.4g of paracetamol) for 12 to 15-year-olds